CA2021901C - Eyeglasses for use in the treatment/diagnosis of certain malfunctions of the eye - Google Patents

Eyeglasses for use in the treatment/diagnosis of certain malfunctions of the eye Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2021901C
CA2021901C CA 2021901 CA2021901A CA2021901C CA 2021901 C CA2021901 C CA 2021901C CA 2021901 CA2021901 CA 2021901 CA 2021901 A CA2021901 A CA 2021901A CA 2021901 C CA2021901 C CA 2021901C
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eye
eyeglasses
lens
opaque
condition
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Expired - Fee Related
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CA 2021901
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French (fr)
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CA2021901A1 (en
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Eric S. Hussey
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Individual
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Individual
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  • Eye Examination Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

The article includes an eyeglass frame (12) and two lenses (14, 16). Each lens has a film (18,20) on one surface thereof which is changeable between an opaque condition and a transparent condition, controlled by an electrical circuit (22).

Description

s x. W '-J
Description SASSES FOR USE TN TI3E TREATMEN~/DTAONOSTS
o~ eERTAZ~T MAl<~tJ~r~T~o~s of THE EYE
TeChr~iaal Field This invention relates generally to the optometry art, and more specifically concerns an article for treatment/diagnos~.s of certain malfunctions of the to eye, in particular the phenomenon of suppression.
Backa~rou~d of the Invention At least two s3.gn~.fiGant eye malfunctions, strabismus (crossed-eye) and amblyopia (lazy eye), i5 involve the phenomenon of suppression, which is a sensory malfunction in which one of the eyes in effect is "blind" although it has the capacity for vision.
The vision in the crossed ox lazy eye is suppressed so that it does not interfere with the «good" eye.
20 Typically, the suppression in strabismus and amblyopia is constant. In other asses, not involving strabismus or amblyopia, one or both eyes may be suppressed intermittently, which is referred to generally as intermittent central suppression (ICS). ICS occurs at z5 various rates and for various time intervals, typically in the range of 12 to so timers per minute.
The treatment of constant suppression involves the corxeation of the crossed or ~.azy eye so as to make them, in ,effect, normal in ~unatian and appearance, 34 thereby providing the total victual benefit of both eyes (binocular v~.~ion). While the effect of constant suppression on vision is known (one: eye is in effect (, ~ .~. ,~~~ e,. .;
~~ Yd .Y. .J 't~ .:i.
blind), the effects of ICS are less well known.
Presumably there a.s sopae effect on binocular vision.
There is also a strong possibility that Certain visualxy mediated functions, in particular reading, are detrimentally affected by ICS. It has been, suggested that the intermittent nswitching off~~ of visii~rl in one eye due t.v ICS results in the intermittent obscuring of .
the text mater~.al being read, so that reading becomes difficult because the same wards may look different depending upon whether suppression is present or not, i.e. the timing of the ICS.
While malfunctions such as strabismus and amblyopia are relatively easy to diagnose, the accuxate diagnosis of ICS is more difficult. There are a number ~,~ of tests which have been used for ICS, most o~ which, however, have proven to be unreliable in the accurate diagnosis of ICS.
one of the traditional treatments used to correct suppression involves the use of binocular devices such as prisms and stereoscopes which in affect force each eye to see a geparate~ portion of a "complete"
image. The two partial images are then 3.ntegrate~d by the brain to produce a complete image. Each image path can be alternately lighted in order to stimulate esach eye separately. Light ~lashera Whioh impinge d~.reGtly upon the eye have also been used. However, the significant disadv~;z~tage to such a treatment approach is that the treatment can anTy be, accomplished in a practitioner's office, because of the equ~.pment necessary. Such treatment is thus inherently time limited. While improvement in the suppression condition .~ ~,: a.:
~'~~.~_~ v.~
is often possible with such treatment, frequently it is relatively slow and not reliable.
Another common technis,~ue for treatment of suppression is patching of the suppressed eye. While ~ typically an effective technique, the appearance presented by an eye patch is usually so u~adesi~abZe that only a small part of the population, i.e. vexy young children, will wear a patch for an extended period of time. Hence, patching is not perceived to be practical 1o for the general population.
rn at least one condition, i.e. strabismus, surgery can be used as a last resozt to prevent the eye from crossing. In amblyopia, as in ICS, however, there is no real need far surgery, and thus the indiv~.duaJ.
15 with those conditions is left to tolerating either the lack of true binocular vxs~,an, in the case of amblyopia, yr the disadvantages of intermittent suppression, such as reading difficulties and intermittent loss of binocular vision.
20 Hence, there is a demonstrated need, langstanding in the art, for an eff~ctive and reliable treatment for the suppression phenomenon, bath constant and for IGB, as well as more recently, a need to accurately diagnose the existence of intermittent 25 central suppression (ICS).
Disclosure of the Invention Accordingly, the ~prgsent invention is an article far treatment and/or disgno~sis of certain eye 3o malfunctions, .including eyeglasses having at least one lens which is treated sv as to be changeable between a generally opaque condition and'a generally transparent ~~~~.~._~~
condition, under the control of an electric: signal and means for producing an electric signal capable of switching the treat~d lens between its?~opaque and transparent conditions and for applying ~e electric signal to the treated lens at a selected rate.
Flri~f Tlg~r_.r~~~~n Of thB Drawincts ., Figure 1 is a representational?view showing the article of the present invention i,n :place on an individual user.
Figure 2 is a schematic view =showing the art5.ale of the present invention in Wn operating canditian with one lens opaque and the other transparent.
figure 3 is a block diagram of the electrical control circuit of the present invention.;
~.est Mode for Garrving Out the TnyeD,~~,c~~, _"
Figure 1 shows the article of the present invention in a schematic ar representational form in place on an actual user. The article comprises treated eyeglasses which are electrically controlled to produce alternating opaque, ~..e. acaluded (dark) and transparent (clear) conditions in they two lenses. Thm arti.c~.e is 2~ shown generally at 10, and includes a conventional eyeglass frame 12 with two ~,enses 14 and 16. The lenses themselves may either be clear glass or may have conventional correction ~ for nearsightedness, farsightedneSS or other conditions. Also, the lenses 3p could be tinted, if desired.
The front surface of each lens 1~ and 16 is coated with a thin film 1~, 2t? which is responsive to an ' "v .~
electrical signal to switch, i.e. change, between an opaque state in which vision through the lens .is partially or completely prevented, and a clear or t~rar~spaxent state in which there is no interference with 5 the vision through the lens. .
This film z8, 20 wall be explained in more detail in the folxowing paragraphs, as will be the .
electrical circuit, shown generally at 22, which controls the state of the film on each lens. Whale circuit 22, which contains a battery and a signal-generating portion, is shown in general block form in Figure 1 as part o~ the glasses frame, similar to those glasses which incorporate a hearing aid, it should be understood that control circuit 22 could be separate from the glasses themselves and could be attached to the car in some fashion vx contained in a small unit adapted to be carxied by the user, such as in a chest packet. In such a case, electrical leads would extend from the eyeglass frame to the circuit.
In the embodiment shown, the film layers 18 and 2o consist of a thin interior (3-18 m3.ls) layer of electro-optical liquid crystals between adjac~nt exteriox layers of metalixed mylar. The film is commercially available; for exa~aple, the product, currently marketed undex the name "translight", is available from Linear Optics Company. When the film is not electrically stimulated, i.e. when an electrical potential is not applied (the "off" state), the film will scatter any light which impinges thereon, giving it a cloudy, somewhat whitish, appearance, In the off state, vision is prevented lay the opaque film.
Different color films are readilx possible, as well as ~~, r t ~ ~j ~ 7 s ~d ~?.i ~ .d. v ;~ _~
different tints, which may in themselves be useful in treating other eye ct~nditions. Colored films may help in making the switching between opague and transparent cry»ditions less noticeable, as we~.~, as possibly having desi.rabl~s treatment effects. Also, the degree of light scattering can be varied so 'that a partial occlusion can be obta~,ned, if desired. Still further, it is possible to cover only a portion of the lapses with the film.
i3pon the application of an electrical signal, in the range of 30-60 VAC for the specific film material described above, an electric field is establf~shed between the metalized mylar conductors, having the effect of aligning the liquid crystals, and resulting in the film baaoming transparent. This is the °'on" state 7.3 for the lens.
Referring to Figure 2, lens 24, which is opaque, has no electrical potential applied thereto, and is therefore off, while lens 16 does have an ~slectric potential applied to it, r~sulting in the film becoming transparent, as shown, and is therefore an.
The film has relatively low power requirements, i.a. 1/1o watt per square foot. The required switching time isc appxQximately 1 millisecond from off to on (to transparent), and approximately 25 milliseconds from on to off (ta opaque). These switching times are sufficiently fast for the required frequencies described abov~ to accomplish the treatment/diagnosis of suppression.
The control circuit for the present invention is shown in Figure 3. ~t includes a conventional 9-volt battery 26, which is connected to a controlled timer 28 as well as an inverter 30. The timer 28 controls the s~ fy ~? 9~ rl .i '~ rd ~ v J .~
frequency of the change of lens condition and the frequency may be either adjustable or fixed, depending upon the particular application of the glasses. The outputs of the timer 28 and inverter 30 are applied to a switch 32. The output of switch 32 is applied through electrical leads 34 to the film 18 on one lens 14, a3~d through leads 36 to the film 2Q an lens I6. When the , battery 26 is on, switching will occur at a predetermined xate. Although the circuit is designed to provide a relatively wide frequency range, in the embodiment shown, the typical frequency fox treatment of suppression will be in the range of 6-lSHz with the most desirable rate being approximately 7Hz, while for diagnosis of zCS the frequency wi~Ll be within the range of 4-120 cycles per minute.
Hence, an article has been disclosed which takes the form of specially treated eyeglasses, operative such that the eyeglass lenses alternate between opaque and transparent car~ditions, at a selected frequency. The glasses are effective in the treatment of suppres$ion, and may be conveniently warn by the user for extended p~riods of time.
Although a preferred embodiment of the ~.nventian hag been disclo~ed herein far illustration, it should be understood that variou~x ~ahanges, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined by the claims which follow.

Claims (7)

1. An article for treatment/diagnosis of eye malfunctions, comprising:
eyeglasses adapted specifically for treatment/diagnosis of eye malfunctions of a user, the eyeglasses being free of connection to any object external to the user and having at least one lens which is treated so at least a portion thereof is changeable from an opaque condition to a transparent condition under the control of an electric signal;
a source of electrical energy carried on the eyeglasses of the user, the electrical energy being capable of changing the condition of said lens between opaque and transparent when applied thereto: and an electrical control circuit carried on the eyeglasses of the user, said electrical control circuit, in combination with said source of electrical energy, producing an electrical control signal and applying said signal to said lens at a preselected repetitive rate which is useful in the treatment/diagnosis of eye malfunctions, the preselected repetitive rate being within at least one of the following ranges: (a) 4-120 cycles per minute and (b) 6-15 Hz, such that the condition of said lens changes between opaque and transparent at said preselected repetitive rate.
2. An article of claim 1, wherein the lens includes a film which is changeable between said opaque and transparent conditions.
3. An article of claim 2, wherein said film is colored.
4. An article of claim 2, wherein the eyeglasses have two lenses, one for each eye, wherein each lens includes said film, the two lenses alternating between opaque and transparent conditions, such that when one lens is in its opaque condition, the other is in its transparent condition and vice versa.
5. An article of claim 1, wherein said control circuit includes means for varying the preselected repetitive rate within both said ranges.
6. A method for treatment/diagnosis of eye malfunctions in a patient, using eyeglasses, comprising the steps of:
placing eyeglasses on a patient to be treated/diagnosed for eye malfunctions, in which the eyeglasses are free of connection to any object external to the user and have at least one lens which is treated so at least a portion thereof is changeable from an opaque condition to a transparent condition: and automatically changing the condition of said lens by means of an electrical control circuit carried on the eyeglasses of the patient between opaque and transparent at a preselected repetitive rate which is useful in the treatment/diagnosis of eye malfunctions, said preselected repetitive rate being within at least one of the following ranges: (a) 4-120 cycles per minute and (b) 6-15 Hz.
7. A method of Claim 6, wherein the eyeglasses have two lenses, one for each eye, and wherein the two lenses alternate between opaque and transparent conditions such that when one lens is in an opaque condition, the other is in a transparent condition and vice versa.
CA 2021901 1989-07-27 1990-07-24 Eyeglasses for use in the treatment/diagnosis of certain malfunctions of the eye Expired - Fee Related CA2021901C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US38565589A 1989-07-27 1989-07-27
US385,655 1989-07-27

Publications (2)

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CA2021901A1 CA2021901A1 (en) 1991-01-28
CA2021901C true CA2021901C (en) 2001-01-02

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CA 2021901 Expired - Fee Related CA2021901C (en) 1989-07-27 1990-07-24 Eyeglasses for use in the treatment/diagnosis of certain malfunctions of the eye

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CA2021901A1 (en) 1991-01-28

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